A ccording to Nashville tunesmith Beth Nielsen Chapman, one of the best songwriting techniques is to avoid technique. “I try to stay as much as possible in the unconscious place where real creativity comes from,” says Chapman, whose songs have been performed by Faith Hill, Bonnie Raitt, Tanya Tucker, Elton John, Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson, Lorrie Morgan and many others. “I try to remove my intellect from the process and just get into the childlike joy of creating, like stringing beads or making mud pies.” Regardless of whether she’s writing for one of her own albums or for another artist, Chapman strives for the same free-associative approach. “I start by just hitting a chord on a guitar or a keyboard,” she says. “The sound of that chord will subliminally suggest a melody line, which will then suggest a specific vowel sound. Usually I just sing nonsense syllables that fit the vowels I hear, though the final version of the song often winds up with the exact vowel sounds I started with. Eventually I have to tighten the song up and look at it from an intellectual angle, but not until after I’ve let the idea grow and mutate and become what it wants to be.” Some of Chapman’s most successful songs were written on inexpensive Yamaha keyboards. “I love how those key- boards are totally accessible,” she says. “If I’m in a creative songwriting mode, the worst thing for me would be to have to read a manual to figure out how to make a drum loop work. The song would never get written! But on the Yamaha key- boards, you just push a button, and you have a basic beat. You can just throw them in your car and take them to the beach.” In fact, the beach is where Chapman and her collabo- rators wrote the Faith Hill mega-hit “This Kiss” on a Yamaha battery powered PSR keyboard. “I’ve been using a PSR730,” says Chapman, “but I’m also going to get a PSR8000 or 9000. They’re all fantastic writing tools. Like guitars, they have songs inside them. The songs are already perfectly written-some of us are just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to download them.” Chapman pauses, then chuckles. “Seeing it that way gets me off the hook when I’m having a bad writing day. I can just say, ‘I must be standing in the wrong place.’” Making Music & Mud Pies Yamaha all access 20 Beth Nielsen Chapman PSR Series Phil Vasser ASCAP’s songwriter of the year 9 Yamaha all access The Wilkinsons GRAMMY ® nominated family trio with hits including “Don’t I have a Heart”, “26 cents” and “Jimmy’s got a Girlfriend” Annie Roboff Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and Faith Hill, to name just a few, have all enjoyed huge hits written by Annie Deborah Allen With her signature song, “Baby I Lied”, Deborah Allen has gone on to make her mark as a remarkable solo and songwriting talent Jon Vezner: ACM & CMA Song of the Year winner and GRAMMY ® winner for Best Country Song Kathy Mattea: Sixteen top ten hits, Five CMA’s, Four ACM’s, Two GRAMMY ® award’s and she’s still going strong Tom Shapiro As a song- writer he’s enjoyed 13 #1 hits and counting, Tom is also a 3 time win- ner of BMI’s Country Songwriter of the Year Delbert McClinton One of the Planet’s greatest roadhouse rockers Gary Chapman TV Host, multiple Dove Award winner and GRAMMY ® nominee Kenny Greenberg GRAMMY ® winning Producer (Edwin McCain, Pam Tillis, Ashley Cleveland, Joan Baez) and Guitarist (The Indigo Girls, Wynonna, Michael Bolton, Trisha Yearwood). He’s penned hit songs for Amy Grant and SHeDAISY Gary Nicholson From BB King to George Jones, Bonnie Raitt to Wynonna, Waylon Jennings to Neil Diamond, he’s written for them all They Know the Secret
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According to Nashville tunesmith Beth Nielsen Chapman, oneof the best songwriting techniques is to avoid technique. “I try to stay as much as possible in the unconscious place
where real creativity comes from,” says Chapman, whosesongs have been performed by Faith Hill, Bonnie Raitt, TanyaTucker, Elton John, Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson, LorrieMorgan and many others. “I try to remove my intellect fromthe process and just get into the childlike joy of creating, likestringing beads or making mud pies.”
Regardless of whether she’s writing for one of her ownalbums or for another artist, Chapman strives for the samefree-associative approach. “I start by just hitting a chord ona guitar or a keyboard,” she says. “The sound of that chordwill subliminally suggest a melody line, which will then suggesta specific vowel sound. Usually I just sing nonsense syllablesthat fit the vowels I hear, though the final version of the songoften winds up with the exact vowel sounds I started with.Eventually I have to tighten the song up and look at it from anintellectual angle, but not until after I’ve let the idea growand mutate and become what it wants to be.”
Some of Chapman’s most successful songs were writtenon inexpensive Yamaha keyboards. “I love how those key-boards are totally accessible,” she says. “If I’m in a creativesongwriting mode, the worst thing for me would be to have toread a manual to figure out how to make a drum loop work.The song would never get written! But on the Yamaha key-boards, you just push a button, and you have a basic beat.You can just throw them in your car and take them to thebeach.” In fact, the beach is where Chapman and her collabo-rators wrote the Faith Hill mega-hit “This Kiss” on a Yamahabattery powered PSR keyboard.
“I’ve been using a PSR730,” says Chapman, “but I’m alsogoing to get a PSR8000 or 9000. They’re all fantastic writingtools. Like guitars, they have songs inside them. The songs arealready perfectly written-some of us are just lucky enough tobe in the right place at the right time to download them.”Chapman pauses, then chuckles. “Seeing it that way gets meoff the hook when I’m having a bad writing day. I can just say,‘I must be standing in the wrong place.’”
Making Music & Mud Pies
Yamaha all access20
Beth Nielsen Chapman
PSR SeriesPhil Vasser
ASCAP’s songwriterof the year
9Yamaha all access
The WilkinsonsGRAMMY® nominated
family trio with hitsincluding “Don’t I
have a Heart”, “26cents” and “Jimmy’s
got a Girlfriend”
AnnieRoboffTrishaYearwood,MartinaMcBride andFaith Hill, toname just afew, have allenjoyedhuge hitswritten byAnnie
Deborah AllenWith her signaturesong, “Baby I Lied”,Deborah Allen hasgone on to make hermark as a remarkablesolo and songwritingtalent
Jon Vezner:ACM & CMASong of the Yearwinner andGRAMMY®
winner for BestCountry Song
Kathy Mattea:Sixteen top tenhits, Five CMA’s,Four ACM’s, TwoGRAMMY®
award’s andshe’s still goingstrong
Tom ShapiroAs a song-writer he’senjoyed 13#1 hits and
counting,Tom is also a
3 time win-ner of BMI’s
CountrySongwriterof the Year
Delbert McClintonOne of the Planet’sgreatest roadhouserockers
Gary ChapmanTV Host, multiple Dove Award winner and GRAMMY®
nominee
Kenny GreenbergGRAMMY®
winning Producer(Edwin McCain,
Pam Tillis, AshleyCleveland, Joan
Baez) and Guitarist(The Indigo Girls,
Wynonna, MichaelBolton, Trisha
Yearwood). He’spenned hit songs
for Amy Grant andSHeDAISY
Gary NicholsonFrom BB King toGeorge Jones, BonnieRaitt to Wynonna,Waylon Jennings toNeil Diamond, he’swritten for them all
They Know the Secret
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